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U.S. Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

Veterinary Services

Annual Update from the Cervid Health Team 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2018

Voluntary Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Certification Program

The APHIS National CWD Herd Certification Program (HCP) was implemented in 2014. It is a 

voluntary Federal-State-industry cooperative program administered by APHIS and implemented 

by participating States. The program provides uniform national herd certification standards that 

minimize the risk of spreading CWD in farmed cervid populations. Participating States and herd 

owners must comply with requirements for animal identification, fencing, recordkeeping, 

inspections/inventories, as well as animal mortality testing and response to any CWD-exposed, 

suspect, and positive herds. APHIS monitors the Approved State HCPs to ensure consistency 

with Federal standards through annual reporting by the States.

With each year of successful surveillance, herds participating in the HCP will advance in status 

until reaching five years with no evidence of CWD, at which time herds are certified as being 

low risk for CWD. Only captive cervids from enrolled herds certified as low risk for CWD may 

move interstate. Currently, 28 States participate in the voluntary CWD Herd Certification 

Program and have Approved HCPs. FY 2018 marks the sixth year that Approved States have 

submitted their CWD HCP annual reports to APHIS. In FY 2018 there were 2,393 enrolled 

cervidae herds: 1,846 deer, 400 elk and 147 mixed species herds. Of those, there were 1,875 

certified cervidae herds: 1,434 deer, 344 elk and 97 mixed species herds.

CWD in Farmed and Wild Cervids

Summary of CWD detections. As of September 2018, CWD has been confirmed in wild deer 

and elk in 23 U.S. States, and in farmed cervids in 17 States. In total, 25 States have identified 

CWD in wild and/or farmed cervids. CWD has been reported in 100 farmed cervid herds in the 

United States.

FY 2018 CWD Detections in Farmed Cervids: Fifteen newly-identified CWD positive farmed 

cervid herds were identified in FY 2018 (11white-tailed deer, 1 elk, 1 reindeer and 2 mixed 

herds with white-tailed deer and elk). Three herds were double fenced and 10 herds were in 

counties that had CWD positives confirmed in the wild. Four of the herds were within 10 

miles of CWD positives confirmed in the wild.

Wisconsin: The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed CWD in 

a 3year-old white-tailed buck in a herd in Shawano County on October 2, 2017. The 

buck was born in a breeding facility in Waupaca County. This hunting preserve of 245 

white-tailed deer was not enrolled in the HCP. The hunt preserve and the breeding 

facility in Waupaca County are under quarantine.

Wisconsin: NVSL confirmed CWD in a 3 year old white-tailed buckon October 20, 
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2017 on a hunt preserve in Waupaca County. The buck was traced back to a HCP 

certified breeding herd in Iowa County, Wisconsin. Eleven additional CWD positive 

animals harvested between September 20 and December 7, 2017 were traced out of this 

hunt preserve, ten to a HCP certified breeding herd in Iowa County, Wisconsin and one 

to a HCP certified breeding herd in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The hunt preserve 

of 73 animals was depopulated in March, 2018 and no additional positives were found.

Wisconsin: Trace back (from Waupaca hunt preserve) HCP certified breeding herd in 

Iowa County consisted of 106 white-tailed deer. This herd was depopulated with federal 

and state indemnity in May, 2018 and 21additional positives were found.

Minnesota: NVSL confirmed CWD in a three year old white-tailed buck on November 

22, 2017 in Winona County. A second white-tailed buck was confirmed CWD positive 

on December 8, 2017. The HCP non certified breeding herd of seven white-tailed deer 

was depopulated in February, 2018 with federal indemnity and all seven were CWD 

positive. 

Michigan: NVSL confirmed CWD in a one and a half year old white-tailed doe on 

December 11, 2017 in Mecosta County. The HCP certified breeding herd consisted of 

523 white-tailed deer and is under quarantine. The index animal’s dam and an additional 

113 high risk animals have been removed with federal funding and no additional 

positives have been found.

Ohio: NVSL confirmed CWD in a three year old white-tailed buck in Holmes County 

on January 10, 2018. The buck was harvested on a hunt preserve in Guernsey County and 

traced back to a HCP certified breeding herd of 93 white-tailed deer. The herd was 

depopulated with federal indemnity in February, 2018 and two additional CWD positives 

were found.

Pennsylvania: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two year old white-tailed doe in Bedford 

County on January 31, 2018. The doe was harvested on the hunt preserve that consisted 

of 82 white-tailed deer and 6 elk. The hunt preserve is not enrolled in the HCP and is 

under quarantine.

Pennsylvania: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two and a half year old white-tailed buck 

on February 6, 2018 in Lancaster County. The HCP certified breeding herd consisted of 

37 white-tailed deer and was depopulated in May, 2018 with federal indemnity. There 

were no additional positives found. This herd was also a trace back herd from Waupaca 

County, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin: NVSL confirmed CWD in a three year old white-tailed buck on March 7, 

2018 in Washington County. The HCP certified breeding herd consists of 13 elk and 58

white-tailed deer. A CWD-exposed hunt preserve, owned by the same producer, in 

Bayfield County consisting of 24 white-tailed deer was depopulated in April, 2018 with 

federal indemnity. No additional positives were found in the hunt preserve and the 

breeding herd is under quarantine.

Illinois: NVSL confirmed CWD in a five year old female reindeer on May 9, 2018 in 

Boone County. The State HCP certified breeding herd consisted of 24 reindeer. Eight 
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reindeer have been depopulated with federal funding for research purposes. No additional 

positives have been found and the herd is under quarantine. This is the first confirmed 

case of CWD in a reindeer in North America. 

Pennsylvania: NVSL confirmed CWD in a one year old and a six year old white-tailed

doe on May 24, 2018 in Blair County. The herd is HMP enrolled and consists of one 

white-tailed buck and is under quarantine. 

Wisconsin: NVSL confirmed CWD in a five year old white-tailed doe on May 31, 2018 

in Dane County. The HCP certified breeding herd of six white-tailed deer was 

depopulated in June, 2018 without federal indemnity. No additional positives were 

found.

Wisconsin: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two and a half year old female elk on May 31, 

2018 in Richland County. The herd of eleven elk was not enrolled in the CWD HCP and 

was depopulated in August without federal indemnity. No additional positives were 

found.

Wisconsin: NVSL confirmed CWD in a two year old white-tailed doe on June 14, 2018 

in Marinette County. The breeding herd consists of 320 white-tailed deer and is not 

enrolled in the CWD HCP. The producer also owns a hunt preserve in Forest County

consisting of 79 white-tailed deer. Both facilities are under quarantine.

Wisconsin: NVSL confirmed CWD in a five year old female elk on June 22, 2018 in 

Sauk County. The breeding herd of fifteen elk is not enrolled in the CWD HCP and is 

under quarantine.
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Pennsylvania: NVSL confirmed CWD in a 4 1/2-year-old white-tail buck on a hunting 

preserve in Franklin County in January 2017 (positive on lymph node only). The hunting 

preserve consisted of 50 white-tailed deer and is required to test 50% or more deaths as 

part of the PA Herd Management Program (HMP). The positive buck had arrived at the 

hunting preserve August 2016 and was shot November 2016. No live cervids leave this 

facility. No other positive animals, wild or farmed, have been identified in Franklin 

County. This animal was born on a HCP-certified breeding facility in Fulton County 

which had an associated HMP hunting premises that later tested positive (see below).

In February 2017, NVSL confirmed CWD in a 3 1/2-year-old white-tail doe from a 

premises in Bedford County. The positive doe was a natural addition. This HCP-certified 

breeding herd consisted of 157 whitetail deer and was depopulated on July 18, 2017 with 

Federal indemnity. Twenty-seven additional positive animals were found (19 GG, 7 GS, 

1 unknown). Samples from 150 adult deer were submitted for codon 96 genotyping: 96 

GG, 49 GS, 5 SS. One trace-forward deer moved out-of-state and was reported as “not 

detected”. Research samples were obtained and archived. The closest known wild CWD 

positive cervids are 2.49 miles away from this herd.

In May 2017, NVSL confirmed CWD in a 5-year-old white-tail doe on a hunting 

preserve in Fulton County. This combined HCP-certified breeding facility and HMP 

hunting preserve was previously quarantined as a CWD exposed trace back premises 

from an earlier 2017 positive in Franklin County. The facilities consist of 234 whitetailed deer. All additions to the HCP breeding facility have been natural since at least 

2011. Ten CWD positive wild deer have been identified in Fulton County since 2015. 

The closest known wild CWD positive deer was found 700 meters away from this farm in 

March 2017. The HCP breeding facility and the HMP hunting preserve are quarantined.

Texas: A CWD positive rectal biopsy was confirmed on May 9, 2017 in a 4-year-old 

white-tail buck in Medina County. The biopsy had been taken to comply with Texas Park 

and Wildlife regulations. The buck had been transferred from another breeding facility in 

November 2014. The herd of 91 adult and 71 fawn white-tail deer is located adjacent to a 

previously identified CWD-positive premises. This animal was euthanized and postmortem samples were confirmed positive (both lymph node and obex) by NVSL on July 

6, 2017. The white-tail deer herd is not in the HCP and a herd plan for depopulation with 

Federal indemnity is planned.

Revisions to the CWD Program Standards

The CWD Program Standards provide guidance on how to meet CWD Herd Certification 

Program and interstate movement requirements in 9 CFR parts 55 and 81. In July 2016, VS 

convened a working group of State and Federal animal health and wildlife officials and 

representatives from the farmed cervidae industry to review the CWD Program Standards. VS 

issued a summary of the working group’s discussions and VS’ recommended changes to the 

CWD Program Standards at the 2016 USAHA meeting for public comment. We received 35 

written comments. VS considered these comments as we revised the Program Standards. The 

revised CWD Program Standards are currently under review and clearance within the USDA.
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Once approved, APHIS will publish the revised CWD Program Standards through the Federal 

Register for public comment prior to being finalized.

Guidance Document for Interstate Movement of Wild Caught Cervids

APHIS published VSG 8000.1 Requirements for Interstate Transport of Wild Caught Cervids in 

September 2016. This guidance document establishes a recommended minimum standard for 

testing and a uniform process of disease risk assessment to help prevent the spread of cervid 

diseases such as chronic wasting disease (CWD), bovine tuberculosis (TB), and brucellosis when 

wild cervids are captured for interstate movement and release.

APHIS issued VSG 8000.2 in September 2017, in response to several comments we received and 

a 2016 USAHA resolution. The revision added a requirement that, “Cumulative sampling over 

the most recent three-year period should be sufficient to detect at least a 1 percent prevalence of 

CWD in the source population with 95 percent confidence.” However, APHIS did not change the 

guidance document to require ante-mortem testing for CWD. APHIS does not intend to require 

the rectal biopsy for routine herd surveillance or as a pre-movement test in farmed cervids. In 

light of this, we retained the option for State Animal Health Officials to require ante-mortem 

testing for CWD recognizing that this may help to inform decisions about the risk of CWD in the 

source population for the wild-caught cervids. APHIS will not pursue changes to the Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 81.3, at this time.

Live Animal Testing For CWD

VS continues to support research to develop and validate live animal tests for CWD. A pilot 

project is in process in Ohio to evaluate the use of whole-herd rectal biopsy as an ante-mortem 

test in CWD-exposed white-tailed deer herds. The first whole-herd test was performed on 231 

exposed white-tailed deer in 6 herds from February through March 2016. The second whole-herd 

testing was completed in September 2016. Genotyping was used to determine the timing of the 

second whole-herd test. All biopsy results have been “not detected.” Herd agreements are in 

place to take samples from any available pilot animals for follow-up post-mortem testing.

VS is also evaluating rectal biopsy data from elk to determine the test sensitivity if used in whole 

herd testing. Unfortunately, the data is not as robust as what was available for white-tailed deer. 

Specifically, more post-mortem results are needed to compare with the ante-mortem results and 

genotypes. VS will continue to work with researchers and statisticians to better understand the 

potential use of this test.

Cervid Tuberculosis

In FY 2017, 12,588 cervids were tested serologically for bovine TB using the DPP® Vet TB 

Assay. A total of 55,205 cervids have been tested since the introduction of the serological tests in 

2013. In FY 2017, primary DPP serological testing identified 20 TB suspects; 8 of these animals 

had negative tests when retested at least 30 days after the primary test, 3 animals have yet to be 

retested, and 5 euthanized or died without a 2nd DPP and were negative on culture. Four were 

identified as TB reactors when they tested positive to the secondary DPP test. All four reactors 

were necropsied and culture results are pending.
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The Chembio DPP® Vet TB Assay is the only serological test approved by APHIS for TB 

testing in cervids. Since October 2016, the NVSL has experienced delays in receiving test kits 

from the manufacturer. NVSL exhausted its supply of test kits, resulting in a backlog of 

approximately 5500 samples. After receiving additional test kits, NVSL tested all pending 

samples by the end of August 2017. NVSL has approximately 14,000 tests on hand to begin fall 

testing.

The current manufacturer is the sole source for this test. APHIS continues to work closely with 

the manufacturer to submit orders for DPP test kits as early in the annual production cycle as 

possible. We also maintain frequent contact with the manufacturer about NVSL’s inventory and 

the status of pending orders for test kits. Despite these actions, NVSL has experienced inventory 

shortages several times. Producers have the option use single cervical skin tests as an official TB 

test.